Gripping device for withdrawing sheet-piling.



J. E. WILHELM & W. W. BONFIELD. GRIPPING DEVICE FOR WITHDBAWING SHEET FILING.

APPLICATION FILED FEB- 3, 1916.

Patented Apr, 3, 191? i To all whom it may concern:

. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

if EssE E. WILHELM' AND WILLIAM WQBONFIELD, or

CLEVELAND. OHIO, ASSIGNORSTO THE GREAT LAKES DREDGE & DOCK COMPANY, OF CHICAGO; ILLINOIS, A CORPORA- TION OF NEW JERSEY.

enrrrme DEVICE FOR WITHDRAWING SHEET-FILING.

Be it known that we. Jessi: E. 'nynizmr and lViLL'iaw \V. BONFIIZLI),'CitlZtIlS of the Unit'ed States. residing at Cleveland. in the county ot Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and usetul Improvement in Gripping Devices for Withdl-awing Sheet-Piling. of which the following is a full, clear. and exact descripton, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to devices for withdrawing steelsheet piles such as-are: used for coiler-dams The general object of the in yention is to provide a very simple, ellicient device for gripping the upper portion of steel sheet piles so that asuitable raising power attached to the gripping device may Withdraw the pile from the ground. In adfacture.

ready and convenient removal of the gripdition to simplicity and cheapncss of manufurther ob ects are to provide for ping device fromvits engagement with the pile; still another 01)]8Ct, is the provision of the danger of severing oi'distorting the large area of gripping surfaces whereby metal of the pile, heretofore experienced with other gripping devices, is entirely obviated.

Our lnventlon 1s hereinafter more fully describedin connection with the drawings 'and its essential characteristics are summari'zed inthe claims.

drawings, Figure 1 is of our gripping device. portion of a Referring to the shown as engaging the upper ishee t' pile; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of our device; "downwardly,- takensubstantially on the hue.

of Fg. 2; Fig. 'i-lS a. longitudinal see- Fig. 3is a horizontal section looking tion through one of the ways and gripping ing the body to jaws," illustrating "a modified (Ollh'tl'llctlOfl thereof; Fig. 5 is a transverse section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings by reference numerals, 1O and'12 indicate downwardly extending arms connected at their upper ends by an integral portion 14, thus forming a. bifurcated body. At the upper end of the body is shown an integral upwardly projecting eye piece 16 adapted for attachsui table hoisting mechanism. The inne' surfabes of the arms 10 and 12 each sloioe in'wrardly toward their Specification of. Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 3, 1917.

Application filed February 3. 1916. Serial No. 75.941.

lower ends and are provided with longitudinal grooves 14 adapted to slid ably receive tongues 18 on the outer sides of movable jaws 2t) and '31. These jaws rest against the.

inner surfaces otthe portions 10 and 19 and securedin position by screws 29'. These blocks extend inwardly beneath the lower ends of the jaws 20 and 21. normally preventing displacement or removal of the jaws. The blocks maybe readily removed to permit convenient assembling of the jaws in the body. 'lhreaded through these blocks are shown screws 30, adapted to engage the lower ends of the jaws and move the body portion with relation to the jaws. thereby providing a positive means for releasing the grip of the. jaws after withdrawing a pile. \Yhilc the weight of the body is jusua lly suilicient to release the grip of the jaws, al'tcr witlulrawing the pile. they sometimes become wedged tightly enough to require greater torcc for releasing. and these screws adapted to grip the sides of a provide a convenient means of, applying such a Force. A

in Figs. 1 to 23 inclusive. the tongue and groove connection between the jaws and the body is shown as of dove tailcd construction so that the jaws may maintain their normal separated position.

ln Figs-Land 5 we have shown a modified construction of the jaw and arm which may be used when it is desired to obviate the dilliculty of machining the dove-tailed grooves in the body. I

The arm 12 corresponds to the arm 12 described, and is shown as provided-with a parallel-sided groove 3:2, into which fits the tongue 38 (corresponding to the tongue 18) on the jaw 21. Theja'jrni 12- is provided with a longitudinal slot opening into a larger slot 36 at the bottom of which are shoulders 37, formed parallel with the inner surface of the arm on which the jaw slides. Screws or bolts 40 rigidly engaging the jaw may extend loosely through the slot 35 and same upwardly carr at their outer ends, washers 42 beneath the eads $3; of the bolts. These washers slidably engage the shoulder 37, allowing a vertical movement of the jaw while preventing its displacement. In operation, the device is lowered over the upper portion of a pile preferablyl until the connecting portion 14 rests on t e top thereof and the hoistingapparatus attached to the eye 16 is then operated. The weight of the jaws 20 and 21 causes them to engage the ile and the relative upward movement of tiie bifurcated body provides a wedging action pressing the jaws toward each other with great force causing the serrations to firmly engage the pile, thereby drawing the with the upward movement of the body. he jaws, being com aratively long and having serrations throug out their length, provide for gripping the pile over a large surface, thus preventing the tearing out or distorting the web of the upper portion thereof. Incidently the large serrated gripping surface has the advantage of wearing much longer than the serrations of comaratively smaller surfaces. It is frequently inconvenient to lower the gripping over the pile a distance sufficient to bring its top against the connecting portion of the body, but the etlicacy is not materiall by lowering it only a portion of t is distance over the pile, as shown, for example, in

It will be noted that the lower edges of the jaws are preferably beveled outwardly as at and the inner edges of the blocks 26 and 27 are preferably beveled as at 46 which facilitates guiding the gripping device over the pile.

As heretofore stated the screws 30 are rovided for releasing the grip of the device In the pile. If, after the pile is withdrawn, the force required to withdraw it has been sufiiciently great to tightly wedge the 'aws into the body so that the weight of the body will not release the jaws, the screws 30 may then be operated to draw the body downwardly over the jaws a slight distance, thus permitting a slight se arating movemamof the jaws which releases their enment with the pile.

aving thus described our invention what 'we'claim is:

1. In a device of the character described,

impaired means for attaching a pullin device to the connecting portion, downwa ly converging surfaces on the inner sides of said arms, Jaws slidably mounted on said surfaces, means for holding the jaws in position while permitting them to slide longitudinally of the arms, an screws carried by the body and adapted to engage the jaws to cause a movement of the body with relation to the jaws in a direction 0 posite to the pulling force.

2. In a device of the character described, a bod composed of a pair of downwardly exten ing arms and a connecting portion, means for attaching a pulling device to the connecting portion, downward] converging surfaces on the inner sides 0 said arms, jaws slidably mounted on said surfaces, inwardly extending shoulders-at the lower ends of these arms, means for holding the jaws in position while rmitting them to slide longitudinally of t e arms, and screws extending through said shoulders and I adapted to engage the lower ends of the jaws to cause a movement of the body with relation to the jaws in a direction opposite to the pulling force.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination of a bifurcated body opening downwardly, sides of the opening converging downwardly, jaws slidably mounted on these converging surfaces having adjacent gripping surfaces, means for attaching the body to a lifting device whereby the jaws vmay tightly engage a pile when lifting force is a plied, and removable blocks secured at t e lower portions of the arms and pro'ecting toward each other into the mouth .means rigid with each of the jaws extending through said slots, and each of said means having a lateral projection slidably engaging the corresponding shoulder.

In testimony whereof, we hereunto aflix our signatures.

JESSE E. WILHELM. WILLIAM W. BONFIELD. 

